John B. wrote:
On Mon, 15 Feb 2016 23:57:50 +0000 (UTC), Cydrome Leader
wrote:

Are there any particular types of stainless steel that take on a good
shine and keep it better than others? Rod form of about 3/4" is what I'd
use. There will be an external and internal threads with one end of the
rod being visible.

The part I'm considering making is mostly cosmetic, but having an almost
chromed look is a plus. The polish I have on hand is Blue Magic, and the
while the stuff is great, but I've noticed that even with stainless
silverware not all will even take a nice polish. Some stuff just ends up
looking grey, others will really shine. I realize "stainless" is a loose
term and the properties vary quite a bit.


Sailboat railings are commonly made from one of the 300 series
stainless, but your reference to "Blue Magic" is a bit misleading as
to be "shiny" you will probably have to actually "polish" your
stainless by buffing with several grades of abrasive. First to remove
all scratches and abrasions in the metal and then (probably) two more
increasingly fine grades of "polishing compound" to remove smaller and
smaller imperfections.

The stuff is just magic. Not sure how it works with such little effort,
but it does. I've gotten the electropolished look on Al and other metals
with just a few minutes and a rag. Not all metals take on the super
reflective look though.

See:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLfgjeq86fw
or
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8r9Ot7Z5l4
for description of polishing .


--
cheers,

John B.